Short-handed TCU falls on the road to Michigan, 76-64

Playing without their starting center, the Horned Frogs came up short against Michigan 76-64 in TCU’s first road game of the season.

Ernest Udeh was ruled out before the game with a lower back injury sustained against Texas State, putting TCU at a disadvantage against the bigger Wolverines. Despite his absence, TCU only trailed 70-62 with 3:19 remaining despite the Wolverines out-rebounding and out-executing the Horned Frogs in the half court.

After a Michigan bucket made it a 10-point game, Trazarien White responded with a bucket in transition to make it 72-64 off of a Michigan turnover.

On Michigan’s next possession, TCU forced multiple misses, but without Udeh in the middle the Horned Frogs couldn’t secure the defensive rebounds. Vlad Goldin’s putback layup with 1:44 remaining ended up being the game-sealing bucket as TCU suffered its first loss of the season.

Life without Udeh

In terms of matchups, the Horned Frogs couldn’t have picked a worse opponent to be without their starting center. The Wolverines have one of the tallest rosters in the country and Michigan used that size to its advantage as the Horned Frogs were forced to rely on two freshmen centers.

David Punch played well considering the circumstances, but Michigan’s experience began to win out as the game continued. 7-footer Danny Wolf was the most impactful player on the court most of the game. He had 14 points, 14 rebounds, two blocks and was another playmaker for the Wolverines with four assists. He did most of his damage in the second half as Michigan broke the game open.

Goldin had 8 points while the 6-foot-10 Sam Waters came off the bench to score 10 points. Without Udeh’s size it was a mismatch from the beginning. Punch finished with six points and six rebounds along with a highlight dunk over multiple defenders. Malick Diallo played 13 minutes and after being a potential redshirt candidate, the true freshman now will play a vital role for TCU going forward until Udeh gets healthy.

Pressure defense

Undermanned and undersized, TCU relied on its ball pressure to stay in the game despite having struggles in the half court. In the first half the Horned Frogs forced 16 turnovers that led to 17 points, more than half of TCU’s 31 points. The Horned Frogs were on the verge of falling behind double digits, 34-25, with 3:07 remaining, but then the defense began to ramp up along with Micah Robinson.

Robinson scored four points and TCU forced four turnovers in the final three minutes as the Horned Frogs cut the deficit to 34-31 at halftime. On the final play of the half, Vasean Allette picked the pocket of Will Tschetter and then allowed Noah Reynolds to slash through the Michigan defense for a layup with just three seconds remaining.

To Michigan’s credit, the Wolverines did a much better job with ball security, with just five turnovers in the second half. Without the fast-break opportunities, TCU’s offense floundered and the Horned Frogs finished the game shooting 34%.

White, Wenzel standout

Trazarien White continued his breakout that started in Tuesday’s win over Texas State with 16 more points against the Wolverines. White had 10 points in the first half and helped settled TCU down when the Horned Frogs were trailing 7-0 at the start of the game. On two straight possessions, White intercepted passes from Michigan and finished in transition as TCU eventually tied the game back at 7.

White had 10 points in the opening 20 minutes and continued to be aggressive in the second half. With the Wolverines keeping him out of transition, White forced the issue and got to the free-throw line often. He made two key free throws at the 6:16 mark that cut Michigan’s lead to 63-60. White finished with a team-high 16 points and while TCU suffered the loss, it looks the transfer forward is starting to find his role.

Brendan Wenzel was TCU’s best option in the half court and had his best shooting game of the season. The Wyoming transfer knocked down five 3-pointers. His fifth 3-pointer of the game brought TCU within 53-48 after the Horned Frogs fell behind double digits, but Wenzel picked up his fourth foul with eight minutes remaining in the game.

When he subbed out TCU was down 60-54 and by the time he got back in with less than four minutes remaining, Michigan still maintained a 69-62 edge. Despite scoring 15 points, it was clear the foul trouble knocked Wenzel out of his rhythm down the stretch.